WHERE TO MEE T
T
wenty years ago, you would never have believed that Dublin Docklands – a wasteland of derelict brick factories and disused gasworks – could become home
to the European HQ for one of the world’s most valuable tech brands. Today, Silicon Docks, as it has been dubbed, twinkles with glassy architecture, with the Daniel Libeskind-designed Facebook building taking centre stage. Twitter, Yahoo, LinkedIn and Airbnb have moved in, too, and the Irish capital’s status as a global tech hub has been cemented. Silicon Docks is considered not only a pivotal
part of Ireland’s dramatic economic recovery, but in the continued investment in its capital. According to the FDI Global Cities of the Future 2018/2019 report, Dublin received more foreign direct investment than any other city in the world last year, almost half of which was tech-based. Moving forwards, there are plans to develop
a Grand Canal Innovation District in Silicon Docks, complete with a €1 billion campus for Dublin’s Trinity College, which will expand the city’s talent pool and attract yet more investment from abroad. And the Irish capital plans to use its innovation economy to specialise in one particular sector of events. “We’ve undertaken a piece of research
through our Meet In Ireland team, looking at the sectoral strengths and knowledge hubs across the convention bureaux in Ireland,” says Sam Johnston, manager of the Dublin Convention Bureau. “Dublin will probably end up looking at the ICT sector. We won’t be walking away from conferences outside of ICT, but the key is to create new opportunities and tie together the expertise that we have here on the ground – our research centres and our academics.” Dublin is already on the radar for staging
Opposite page: The Samuel Beckett bridge and Convention Centre Dublin Below: Grand Canal Dock
major tech events. In March, the city hosted Futurescope, a conference dedicated to the likes of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Tings, and 5G. And in July, the city welcomed 20,000 visitors over four days for European Games Week.
Te Irish capital embraces the future as well
as its rich past, and the architectural range of its venues is impressive, from the cutting-edge Convention Centre Dublin – which was awarded Best Overseas Conference venue for the ninth year in a row at the M&IT Industry Awards in March – to the near-spiritual splendour of Trinity College Library, where it’s possible to host drinks receptions amid leather-bound tomes. Tere are plans for the capital to open up more of its cultural and historic venues and museums to event planners:“Failte Ireland [the National Tourism Development Authority] will be launching a gala dinner venue fund to encourage the development of existing cultural attractions or cultural products to enter into the gala dinner sphere,” says Johnston. A continuing challenge for Dublin is its
hotel availability. Te good news is that an additional 3,000 hotel rooms will arrive by 2020. New properties include Hyatt’s Irish debut
THERE ARE PLANS FOR THE
CAPITAL TO OPEN UP MORE OF ITS CULTURAL AND HISTORIC VENUES TO EVENTS
–with a 234-room Hyatt Centric, which opened last month – and a 158-room property from O’Callaghan Hotels. Meanwhile, the Mont Clare hotel reopened as Te Mont Hotel Dublin in August following a €10 million renovation, which added a new winter garden. A major reason to host an event in Dublin is
its accessibility by air. “For corporate meeting planners, it’s part of the decision-making process – the quicker they can get their employees in and out and back to the office, the better,” says Johnston. “Te network we have across Europe and the growth across America is super, plus double-daily flights to Dubai [with Emirates] and Abu Dhabi [with Etihad], and daily to Doha [with Qatar Airways].” And the sod has been turned for Dublin airport’s new North Runway, predicted to drive €2.2 billion of economic activity into the country by 2043. On the other hand, Hainan Airlines’ service linking Dublin with Beijing and Shenzhen – which launched last year – was axed in September. Aside from its gleaming business credentials,
the Irish capital’s quaint cobbled streets, lively bars and world-renowned cultural heritage make the city a characterful choice for meetings and events.
➜ NOVEMBER 2019 | 17
JBYARD/CHRISTOBOLO/ISTOCK
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